


I Just Want You For My Own

by Twinklylightseverywhere



Series: All I Want For Christmas Is You [1]
Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Bipolar Disorder, Christmas fic, Co-workers, Depression, M/M, Mania, Mention of Past Suicide Attempt, Smut, cause im emo, handjobs, please take care of yourselves!, space things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-11 05:30:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12928506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twinklylightseverywhere/pseuds/Twinklylightseverywhere
Summary: Even loves the holidays, really.He loves spending time with his friends and family, drinking hot chocolate by the fire, exchanging gifts, the like. He loves leaving his apartment to see snow falling from the sky, children’s eyes lit up in excitement, and the general busy bustle of downtown Oslo in December.You know what he doesn’t love about Christmas time? Working in a fucking Post Office.Or; the Co-Workers au/Christmas fic that no one asked for.





	1. Where's Grethe?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!  
> Why am I doing this? I literally don't even know. I guess I'm just feeling extra festive this time of year.  
> Just as a disclaimer, I am not Norwegian, and therefore I am not 100% about the accuracy my depiction of their Post system. I do, however, work in a Post Office for my own country, and so I have combined my general knowledge plus whatever answers I can find on google to help me out!  
> Tl;dr take everything with a grain of salt.  
> Title is from Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" cause I'm trash.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Even loves the holidays, really.

He loves spending time with his friends and family, drinking hot chocolate by the fire, exchanging gifts, the like. He loves leaving his apartment to see snow falling from the sky, children’s eyes lit up in excitement, and the general busy bustle of downtown Oslo in December.

You know what he doesn’t love about christmas time? Working in a fucking Post Office.

Okay, sure, he makes quite a bit more money here than he did when he was working at Kaffebrenneriet. Thanks to Norge Posten having actually decent wages, especially for part-time students like Even, he was able to score a job about six months back.

The thing is, during the rest of the year, business is fairly steady, enough to keep him from being bored. However, during the Holidays, it’s like Santa’s reindeer fucking stampeded through the establishment. Like seriously. Customer after customer will pour through, most of them sending out parcels all around the world, and suddenly the back room is a disaster.

Even will actually start sweating. His coworker, a fairly nice older woman named Grethe, is perfectly competent at her job, however, she’s slow as shit. She also can’t lift the heavier parcels due to her bad back, so Even is stuck doing all the heavy lifting.

He normally doesn’t mind lifting parcels, after all, it’s a part of his job, and he’s a perfectly able-bodied young man. However, during the holidays, he’s running around everywhere, lifting parcels, stacking them up in the back, running his own till, helping customers, and answering phone calls, all while Grethe sits on her ass at her till and works twice as slow as Even. And the line up is so long that it’s actually going out the door, letting in the cold winter air.

So yeah, the holidays aren’t that great sometimes.

Since he’s just finished his final exams, Even finally has some time to make some extra money. This means that he’s basically working full-time, eight hours a day, five days a week, all up until christmas. 

Normally he wouldn’t mind working with Grethe, as she actually makes pretty decent company, and she always updates Even on her cat’s well-being (something that he thoroughly appreciates). However, if Even hears her say “Even dear, could you lift this parcel for me?”, one more time, he thinks he’s gonna cry.

Like seriously, it’s that busy.

 

It’s normally just him and Grethe during the day, which is why it’s a surprise when Even comes into work, only to be greeted by his manager, Lise, instead.

“Hei, Even.” she says, and yeah okay, this is weird.

Normally she’ll come in every once and awhile as Even is working, since he normally works weekends and evening shifts. Due to the holidays, she’s decided to take more time off to be with her family, effectively another reason why Even is a little miffed.

“Morning?” he greets, and he doesn’t hide his confusion. “Where’s Grethe?”

Normally Grethe is already there by the time that Even will trudge into work, bleary-eyed and half-asleep. Grethe, of course, will be completely awake.

“She’s had an accident,” Lise says, not even bothering to look at Even as she scrolls through her phone. “She's hurt her back and won’t able to come back until the new year. I have a new transfer coming over from Grünerløkka to help you out until Christmas, and he should be here any minute now.”

Well, then.

As sad as Even is that he won’t hear about Grethe’s cat until the new year (like seriously, her cat is so adorable), he can’t help but feel a little happy. Hopefully this new transfer will actually know what he’s doing, and actually, like, be fast at his job.

Seeing as only older people seem to work in Post Offices these days, Even doubts it.

“Oh, okay.” Even murmurs, but he isn’t sure if she even hears him.

Her phone rings and she answers with a quick, “Hallo?” before covering the speakers on her phone for a second.

“I need to go, Even,” she says hurriedly, and Even wants to roll his eyes. “But once he gets here, just show him the ropes and everything. He knows what to do, so I think you’ll get along just fine.”

“Uh, sounds good.” Even says, and in a flurry, she walks out.

He actually rolls his eyes this time at Lise’s impatience, and makes his way to the backroom to put his stuff away.

He has his own little routine before they open at 7:30.

First, he gulps down all the coffee in his reusable coffee mug from this morning desperately, and then he takes his daily medication. He could take it before he leaves, but he leaves the house way too early to think responsibly, so he just ends up shoving his pill bottle in his backpack and running out the door. After his medication, he’ll sit down and casually browse through his phone for a couple minutes. After that, he’ll actually move out to get everything ready up front.

Normally, he has Grethe’s presence, humming along to some oldies as they both get everything ready for the day. Today, he is just met with silence, and so he takes his phone out of his pocket and begins to play some of his own music through the speakers.

He goes into the back again and opens up the safe to grab the tills for the day, along with the float from last nights closing shift. 

It’s just about 07:25 and he’s just putting both tills in their drawers, when the door slams open, along with a blast of cool air. Even’s kinda wants to roll his eyes, because typically you aren’t supposed to cut it so close when working an opening shift. Typically, by the time 07:30 rolls around, there are already customers waiting to be served. Despite his slight displeasement, Even puts on a smile to greet his new co-worker when-

Ah shit, he’s really fucking cute.

He’s probably about Even’s age, give or take a couple years, which is surprising right off the bat. His cheeks are red from the cold and he’s completely bundled up. When he takes off his toque, blonde curls spill out lazily, and he shakes them out, sighing in relief as the warm air hits him. His eyes, which Even can’t quite see too well from behind the counter, finally meet his, and then his face flushes even more. Holy shit, this guy is beautiful.

"Is that Nas?" the very cute boy asks.

Even starts, scrambling for his phone with slippery fingers to press pause on his Spotify.

"Yes?"

The boy shakes his head, seemingly coming out of a trance of his own.

“Oh, uh-I’m Isak," he says, and Even thinks that the flush on his cheeks is beautiful. "I’m supposed to be transferring from Grünerløkka?”

He walks up to the counter, taking off his gloves to stick out his hand. Even stares at his hand for a second, and then curses himself for being to stupid.

“Uh, I’m Even.” he says, and he finally reaches out to shake Isak’s hand.

_ Isak _ .

Even is literally cursing the pansexual gods right now for making him so useless around cute boys.

Isak smiles softly, and they’re still shaking hands. Right.

Even lets go and clears his throat. 

“U-uh,” he stutters, wanting to facepalm this very second. “I already have your till ready to go, why don’t head to the back to put your stuff away and then I’ll show the ropes around here?”

Even points to the direction of the staff room.

“Okay,” Isak says, his eyes, which Even can now tell are green, are never leaving his face. “I’ll be right back then.”

He turns around hesitantly, and heads off in the direction of the staff room, and Even allows himself to breathe.

_ Fuck _ , how in the hell was he going to survive today?

 

Isak comes back about two minutes later, just as Even is unlocking the doors and turning on the “open” sign. He is wearing considerably less layers than before, and holy damn, his arms are  _ nice _ . Even through his long-sleeved shirt, Even can tell that he definitely works out. He’s not like, super buff, which is good, because Even’s not really into super buff dudes. He’s more of the natural athletic build, slim and tall, not as tall as Even, but still tall nonetheless. Even’s so fucking screwed, oh man.

“Uh, people should start coming in soon.” Even murmurs, and Isak just nods.

Fuck. Even wasn’t wanting to get this so awkward so quickly. But honestly, he thinks his mouth has forgotten how to speak, so maybe he’s actually doing himself a favour here.

“Does it get busy here?” Isak asks, thankfully breaking the silence before it gets too awkward.

Even chuckles, finally glad that Isak has given him something that he could gladly rant to anybody about. 

“Oh yeah,” he says, walking around the counter to input his login on his computer. “I usually can’t feel my feet by the end of the day. What about Grünerløkka, is it busy there?”

“It’s steady,” says Isak, coming by to meet Even at his computer. “But honestly there was too much theft and money laundering going on, and then I saw an opening for this Post Office, and I thought I might as well go for it.”

Even nods. Honestly, Grünerløkka typically wasn’t horrible during the day or anything, but people can do sketchy things at Post Offices. 

“Okay,” Even says, decidedly changing the subject to strictly business. “This will be your till here, and we have a general log-in for our office, which you can find in this drawer here.”

Even pulls out the drawer underneath the computer reveal the piece of paper with the login on it, and hands it to Isak.

Isak takes the paper and begins typing away.

“Once you actually meet Lise, our manager,” Even continues, as Isak hits enter to sign-in. “She’ll give you your own personal log-in, but for now, just use this one.”

At this point, a customer enters the store, a tall man, seemingly in a rush, which effectively cuts off any further attempts at conversation.

“You want me to take this?” Even asks, motioning to the approaching customer, who seems to be carrying a fairly hefty parcel.

“I got it.” Isak grins sheepishly, turning his attention fully to the customer.

“Halla!” he greets, and Even wants to laugh at his fake customer service voice, which is about ten degrees higher than his normal voice. Then again, Even suspects he probably does the same thing.

“Hei,” the customer says shortly, and Even internally rolls his eyes. Rude customers first thing were his absolute favourite. “I’d like to send this parcel to the U.S.”

“Okay,” Isak says, giving Even a look that lets him know that they’re thinking the same thing. “Could you please put the parcel on the scale?” 

Isak motions to the black scale in front of him, to which the customer heaves the parcel upon.

From there, Isak is a whirlwind, grabbing the measuring tape and tapping on the screen at lightning speed. 

Oh thank God, he’s way faster than Grethe.

“I’m guessing you’d like it there in time for christmas?” Isak says, not unkindly.

“Yes.” he says, and wow. Some people.

“Okay, so the cheapest I can offer is 883 kr, and that’ll take probably about two weeks to get there.”

“883?” the customer blanches, and Even is already done. Isak seems done, too.

“Yes, Sir,” Isak says, his customer service voice even higher and much more passive aggressive. Okay, Even fucking loves this guy. “Your parcel is going overseas and it weighs over 11 kilos, so the price is bound to rank up.”

“Is there a cheaper option?”

“Oh sure,” Isak muses, and Even can see his eyes twinkling mischievously. “But that would go by boat, which could take up to two months, so it wouldn’t get there in time for christmas.”

“Are you serious?” the man says, raising his hands in exasperation. 

“I’m serious.” Isak deadpans.

“Whatever,” snaps the man, taking a quick glance down at his watch. “Just get it there in time for christmas, I don’t care about the price.”

“Yes, Sir.” says Isak, tapping away on the screen again.

The door opens again, and two women enter, this time looking much happier than the other customer.

“You okay if I take these customers?” Even asks quietly to a focussed Isak, who is tapping away at the screen. 

“No worries.” Isak stops for a second to smile at him, and wow, okay. He’s really fucking cute. 

“Okay.” Even breaths, and then he shakes his head. Right. He has an actual job to do.

“Hei!” he greets the two women cheerfully, heading over to his own till.

Turns out, the women just need to buy some stamps, and so Even can’t help himself as he eavesdrops on Isak’s conversation.

“I’ll need you to fill out a customs form, please.” Isak says, reaching down and pulling out a couple drawers until he finds what he needs. Even makes a mental note to tell Isak where everything is located once they’re not busy.

“Is that necessary?” says the customer, once again glancing down at his watch. “I need to get to work.”

“Yes, Sir,” says Isak, his tone not losing it’s hint of passive aggressiveness. “Anything going to the U.S. needs to be declared, otherwise it’ll be sent back to you.”

“Fine,” the customer says. “What do I need to do?”

As Isak guides the customer through the customs form, Even finishes up his own transaction and bids the two women a good day.

Finally, Isak finishes up his transaction with a sugary-sweet “Have a good day!”, Even turns to him.

Isak snorts once the man closes the door. 

“Man,” he says, peeling the customs form from the backing and placing it on the parcel. “That guy was an ass.”

Even lets out a small laugh. He loves being able to swear around coworkers.

“I know right?”

“Where do you put the outgoing parcels?” Isak asks, now picking up the hefty parcel. And thank god, Even doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. Also, he totally gets to see Isak’s toned arms flexed, and well, he can hardly complain.

“Oh, yeah!” Even says, tearing his gaze away from Isak’s biceps. “Follow me, I’ll give you a quick tour.”

 

The first couple of hours pass by quickly, thank god, as Even shows Isak around and explains all the pickup times for the delivery drivers, as well as their procedures for inputting parcels as they’re delivered throughout the day. Luckily, Isak catches on really quickly, and by around 10 am, they’re working through the first rush like a well-oiled machine. Sure, they’re still busy, but at least Even can feel his feet.

It feels like a breath of fresh air compared to Grethe, who, bless her soul, is just way too fucking slow at her job.

Even also can’t help but let his mind wander. Because, holy shit, not only is Isak hot, but he’s also really sweet. Like, Even has never met someone who he has simultaneously wanted to fuck and make breakfast. Although, Even think he may have to reconsider that, as he doesn’t fancy getting stove burns. Either way, he wants to actually get to know Isak, like, take him out for coffee. 

His curls are the cutest thing ever. Isak seemingly gets annoyed by them, blowing stray strands of hair off his forehead when his hands are occupied. He really likes to lick his lips excessively, his tongue poking out to touch his defined cupid’s bow at least every few minutes. And his lips don’t even look dry, in fact, they look super fucking soft. Even really wants to kiss him. 

Not only is Isak really good looking, but he’s actually a really hard worker, and a fast one too. He and Even get through the rushes with no hiccups, and they’re able to take phone calls and enter incoming parcels on their not-so-busy periods. 

All-in-all, it’s probably the most relaxing work day Even has ever had.


	2. Giraffgutten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s only once Even leaves the warmth of indoor heating and into the frozen tundra that he realises just how much he’s fucked up.
> 
> 1\. He can’t wink, like at all. So then why in the hell did he just wink at Isak?  
> 2\. He had asked for Isak’s number, and he didn’t even get it. He just acted stupid in front of a really cute boy who probably won’t even text him because he must think that Even’s a total weirdo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short today, however, I figured since I'm gonna have a crazy exam week next week, that I'd treat you a little early! I also appreciate the patience during these stressful exam times :)  
> With that being said, hope you enjoy!

By the time that 16:00 has come, Even feels as if he’s just started. However, the closing girls are here, and he and Isak are finished.

Together, they walk back to the break room in silence, allowing the closing girls to take over.

“You working tomorrow?” Isak asks shyly, looking down at his shoes.

“Yeah, at 07:00,” Even says, and he actually looks over at Isak to see if they’ll meet eyes. “You?”

“Same,” says Isak, and thank god, he actually looks up for a second to meet Even’s eyes. “That’s my shift from Monday ‘till Friday until school starts again.”

“Me too!” says Even, wanting to cry from happiness, but he manages to contain himself.

They enter the break room together, and Even immediately takes off his uniform shirt to reveal his t-shirt underneath.

“What school do you go to?” Even asks, turning back to Isak, who appears to be looking at Even’s torso. Even raises his eyebrows, and Isak starts, bringing his gaze back up to Even’s eyes. He flushes at being caught, and Even swoons internally. He literally just wants to pinch Isak’s cheeks, because he’s too fucking cute for his own good.

“UiO.”

“No shit! I do too!” exclaims Even, because seriously, of course this guy goes to his school, and of course he doesn’t notice him. “What do you study?”

“Uh, biology.” says Isak, and Jesus Christ, this guy is smart too? “Second year. What about you?”

“Film studies,” Even says. “And I’m in my third year.”

If Isak seems surprised, he doesn’t show it. It’s maybe because Even literally is the epitome of a hipster. Especially since his bag, which is displayed in plain sight, is adorned with multiple pins and buttons adorning phrases such as “Save Independent Film” and “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.” What can he say? Even really likes saving the planet and good independent films. Sue him. Besides, if Isak takes biology, then he must understand just how horrible greenhouse gases are.

“I think I’ve seen you around before.” says Isak, likes it’s no big deal, except it is.

“Really?” Even says, perplexed. Hold on a second.

“Yeah,” giggles Isak, and Even swoons. “You can’t miss those giraffe legs anywhere.”

“Haha.” Even deadpans, priding himself on staying cool, because on the inside, he’s freaking out. How is it that Isak has seen him before, but Even somehow must’ve had his head in the clouds and not noticed Isak. Goddamn.

“Nah, I’m just messing with you,” Isak says, his grin so wide that it’s infectious. “I can’t possibly make fun of a giraffe that listens to old school hip hop.”

“I did wonder if you liked Nas as well.” Even muses, his grin equally as big as Isak’s. Suddenly, they’re just two grinning idiots who are just staring at each other, cheeks flushes.

Isak’s phone loudly vibrating interrupts the silence, and Even thinks he can actually see Isak jump about a foot into the air.

“Halla?” Isak asks, his voice thoroughly displeased. He shoots Even an apologetic glance, and Even waves him off.

“Yes, I can pick up toilet paper on my way home.”

Even smirks. Annoying roommates are the absolute bane of his existence. Like, he loves Mikael, but damn that boy is messy.

“Yes, Linn, I’ll be home soon.”

Linn? Girlfriend maybe?

“Yes, tell Eskild that I love him too.” Isak giggles, and what is this, some sort of bisexual polyamorous love fest?

 _Love fest?_ What the hell, Even.

“Ha det, Linn.”

Isak hangs up his phone, pocketing it and looking back up at Even.

“Sorry about that,” Isak says, effectively cutting off Even’s weird internal polyamorous thoughts. ”My roommates are so demanding, those lazy fuckers.”

Even laughs. Okay, so Isak’s cool with cussing too? Fucking awesome. One other thing that is fucking awesome, Isak probably is not in a relationship with two other people.

“I know the feeling,” Even chuckles. “Mikael is literally the messiest dude I’ve ever met, I swear to God.”

“Normally I’m the one who makes the mess,” Isak says. “That’s why I run the errands.”

“Gotcha.”

They meet eyes again, and even though Even can feel the silence getting awkward, he can still sense the tension. It’s sexual tension, sure, but it’s also like, romantic tension. Like all Even wants to do is kiss Isak’s face. Or other parts of him. Semantics.

“Anyways, I should go grab that toilet paper.”

“Uh- what?” Even blurts oh-so intelligently.

“Toilet paper?” Isak repeats, grinning again at Even’s stuttering. “For my roommates?”

“Oh yeah.” Even sighs, and fuck, he really doesn’t want Isak to leave. To be fair, Isak doesn’t look particularly enthusiastic to leave either.

“Okay.” Isak says with finality, and _shit._

“Can I uh- have your number?” Even blurts out again, flushing a lovely deep-red.

Isak freezes, and Even can see the light blush spreading across his cheeks too. Okay, there’s no way this boy is straight.

“You know,” Even continues, gaining a bit more confidence now. “We’re gonna be working together quite a bit, so it’ll probably be handy to have.”

“O-oh!” Isak exclaims, flicking some stray hair out of his eyes. “For work! Of course, yeah.”

Isak takes his phone back out of his pocket and unlocks it, handing it to Even. Even takes Isak’s phone, his heart skipping a little as their fingers brush accidentally.

He saves his contact as “Giraffgutten” in Isak’s phone just to be a little shit, and hands it back to Isak. Isak, upon reading what Even has written, lets out an absolutely adorable snort.

“Thanks, Giraffe Boy.”

“My pleasure,” Even says, winking at Isak. “Text me, yeah?”

Hell yeah. Smooth-Even is finally here. Even slides on his jacket, wraps his scarf around his neck, and puts on his gloves. He may be a smooth fucker (sometimes) but it’s still way too cold to leave the building without five hundred layers. Finally, he picks up his bag and swings it over his shoulder, pocketing his phone.

“Okay.” he hears Isak say faintly, and when he turns around, Isak is full-on blushing. Five points to Gryffindor.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Isak.” Even says, and he walks out of the break room and into the cold of Oslo, congratulating himself on how well he’s handled himself in front of a very cute boy.

  
  


It’s only once Even leaves the warmth of indoor heating and into the frozen tundra that he realises just how much he’s fucked up.

  1. He can’t wink, like at all. So then why in the hell did he just wink at Isak?
  2. He had asked for Isak’s number, and he didn’t even get it. He just acted stupid in front of a really cute boy who probably won’t even text him because he must think that Even’s a total weirdo.



  


“Mikael,” he shouts into the emptiness of his hallway once he gets home. “I need your help! I’m having a gay crisis!”

He hears Mikael choke on his drink from the living room, and he follows the sound.

Sure enough, Mikael is sat on the sofa, still in his pyjamas, and he’s watching “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”, of all things. Seriously, that boy may be on Christmas break right now, but he’s still the laziest person that Even’s ever met.

Even drops his bag onto the floor, along with his outdoor wear, and flops down next to Mikael, burrowing his face into his lap. Mikael runs his fingers through his hair, and Even wants to relax, but he can’t.

“Mik,” he groans out, kicking his legs dramatically. “I just met the cutest boy at work today.”

“Even, dude,” Mikael sighs, moving his hand down from Even hair in order to clap his back sympathetically. “You, without a doubt, are the most dramatic motherfucker I’ve ever met.”

“No,” Even protests, swiveling his body around to face his friend. “Like, literally, this guy was the embodiment of Adonis. And he’s so fucking _cute._ ”

“You’ve mentioned that.”

“Shut up,” he retorts, not unkindly. “He’s my new coworker, since Grethe's out with an injury.”

“Oh man,” Mikael says, and he actually sounds genuinely disappointed. “I liked hearing about her cat.”

Even ignores the comment. “And he goes to UiO, and he’s seen me before, and I asked for his number but-”

“You’re using run-on sentences.” Mikael interrupts.

“Shush!” Even exclaims, slapping Mikael gently on the leg. “Dude, I fucked up!”

“What did you do?” Mikael asks, his voice changing from joking to serious in an instant. That was one thing that he loved about his best friend; he knew just when to be serious and when to joke around.

“You know how I can’t wink?”

“Dude,” Mikael laughs, throwing his head back. “I was the one who told you that! Someone had to stop you from making a fool of yourself when you flirted with people.”

“Mm.”

“Oh,” Mikael gasps, straightening his posture, effectively knocking Even from his lap. “You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”

Even sits up too, leaning back against the couch and hiding his face in his hands. He can’t take Mikael’s judgy stare right now.

“I did.” Even groans in shame.

“Duuuuude,” Mikael croons. “Why?”

Even ignores his best friend. “You wanna know what’s worse?” he asks, not waiting for a reply. “I asked for his number, and then proceeded to program _my_ number in his phone and then winked, and then I fucking left! He probably thinks I’m an idiot!”

“He’s not wrong.” Mikael says, and Even takes his hands off his face to stick out his tongue. In reply, Mikael flips him off.

“No, but seriously,” he continues. “That’s not too bad, and besides, he actually let you put your number in his phone?”

“Maybe he just felt bad for me,” Even decides. “Couldn’t stand to see me stutter my way through the conversation any longer and so he just-”

“Even,” Mikael interrupts, any trace of humour now leaving his face. “As much shit as I give you, you’re a great guy, okay? Anyone would be lucky to date you. And if this guy decides not to text you, then fuck him. He’s doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

“Okay.” Even says, a little taken aback, but chuffed nonetheless.

“Here’s what you’re gonna do,” Mikael continues, leaning forward, which suggests that _he means business._ “If he texts you, you’re gonna get to know him, and then ask him out on a date if there’s a connection. If he doesn’t text you, then no harm done! You can just stay perfectly friendly coworkers until Grethe comes back.”

“And what if Grethe doesn’t come back?” Even counters, leaning forward and matching Mikael’s posture. “Or, what if Lise suddenly decides that she only wants to schedule me with Isak because-”

“Who’s Isak?”

“The cute boy!” Even sighs, exasperated. “Get with the times, Mikael!”

“You didn’t even tell me his name!” Mikael argues, holding his hands up in front of himself defensively.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure I did.”

“Even, my son,” Mikael says, and he moves his hand to rest against Even’s shoulder, like the true dad friend that he is. “You didn’t.”

“Oh.” Even sits back, suddenly exhausted.

“If, for whatever reason, he doesn’t text you,” Mikael continues, finally taking his hand off Even’s shoulder. “Then we’ll stage an emergency squad hangout to and spend the whole night cussing Isak out, okay?”

Even smiles. “Okay.”

There’s a beat, and then Even’s phone vibrates.

He doesn’t think that he’s ever unlocked his phone so fast.

 

_Unknown Number (16:43)_

_Hey Even, it’s Isak, from work? Hopefully you didn’t give me a fake number haha._

 

Even squeals.

“Dude,” groans Mikael, turning back to the Kardashians. “You are so desperate.”

“He texted me!”

“I figured,” Mikael mumbles, unpausing the TV. “Go be gay somewhere else and then tell me all about it later.”

Even shoots up off the couch, barely even paying Mikael anymore attention.

 

_Even (16:45)_

_You got the right number don’t worry! Although, I have a confession to make._

 

_Isak (16:45)_

_What’s that?_

 

_Even (16:46)_

_I don’t really wanna talk about work right now._

 

_Isak (16:47)_

_Me neither :)_

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've explored Even a little more here, but don't worry, I have more plans for the rest of this story too!  
> What do y'all think so far? I'd love to hear what you have to say. As always, kudos and comments absolutely make my life.  
> If you wanna talk about anything, come hit me up on tumblr at unendeligtid!  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Kardemomme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’re spending so much time together that Mikael’s always joking that Even doesn’t even live in their flat anymore, and that he might as well move in with Isak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!  
> Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! I just had the finals week from hell that included: three final exams, work, studying, and having to put my poor doggy down. However, I am back and not dying anymore! So enjoy 5k of another chapter!  
> Also there's smut lol enjoy.

Here’s the thing, ever since Isak texted him that one fateful day, they haven’t stopped talking. Like, literally. They’ll spend all day at work together, laughing and flirting, because, finally, the worst of the Christmas rush has passed. Then, they’ll usually go for coffee once they get off work, and then head back to Isak’s flat. They’re spending so much time together that Mikael’s always joking that Even doesn’t even live in their flat anymore, and that he might as well move in with Isak. Even has come to learn all of Isak’s roommates’ strange qualities. 

There’s Eskild, who always calls Even “stud muffin” (in English, mind you), and he’s the best. He always teases Isak and calls him “Baby Jesus” (Even still hasn’t figured that one out). He’s also very flamboyantly gay, and is so wonderfully unapologetic about it. Like seriously, Even really looks up to this dude. He’s funny at the best of times, and caring at the worst of times.

The worst of times, usually, are because of Linn, Isak’s other roommate. 

Don’t get him wrong, Linn is absolutely wonderful. She always says hi to Even whenever he comes over and asks him how he’s doing, in the absolute sweetest tone of voice. She’s quiet, unassuming, and so gentle. Even can see why Isak and Eskild live with her, honestly.

However, Even doesn’t think he’s seen Linn stand for more than five minutes. When she does stand, or rather, when Eskild makes her get up and walk around, she just looks so exhausted. Even thinks that she sleeps more hours a day than anyone he’s ever seen. He feels a pang of sympathy go through him every time that she’ll weakly call out from the couch or her bed, because he’s been there. Even knows what it’s like to not be able to get out of bed and function normally for days at a time, and it hurts to know that other people actually have to go through the same things as him. Because of this, he makes sure to smile extra and ask her how she's doing whenever she’s around, in a subtle way of letting her know that he understands. At first, Even didn’t think that it was doing anything, however, he’ll never forget the day that Eskild had pulled him aside.

“Even?” he had said, gently placing a hand on Even’s arm in the hallway outside of Isak’s room. The two of them had been playing Fifa for a few hours now, and Even had quickly excused himself for a bathroom break. He was more than eager to get back to Isak, but there was no way he could pass up talking to Eskild for a second.

“Yeah?” he had replied, turning around and halting in his tracks.

“I just wanted to thank you,” Eskild had whispered, nodding his head towards Linn’s closed door. “I know it may not seem like much, but she really likes you.”

Even had smiled, meeting eyes with Eskild, knowing that they had an unspoken understanding. Sometimes, you didn’t need to talk about the things that are upsetting. You just have to let other people know that you care.

 

And of course, there’s Isak. Isak, who is so wonderfully brilliant, and cute, and hot, and funny, _h_ _ oly shit, _ Even has it bad. Like, Isak just has this way about him. He is the sweetest person ever, and yet he’s a absolute little shit towards his roommates. He makes terrible jokes about old vines and Even can’t help but laugh at all of them. He’s so incredibly smart, and he makes good grades at school, and yet he can’t cook for shit. Like seriously, he’s managed to burn  _ boiling water.  _ Even didn’t even know that was possible. One time, he and Isak decided that they wanted to make tea, and so they had gone into the kitchen, brushing hands together nervously, never intertwining. 

 

“I haven’t had tea in  _ years _ !” Isak had exclaimed as they had entered the kitchen, and Even had leaned casually against the counter in order to watch Isak fumble with the cupboards.

“That’s blasphemous,” Even had said sarcastically, because he’s a total tea granny. “I can’t go one day without a cup of tea.”

Isak had rolled his eyes. “That’s because you’re an old man.” he had teased, finally finding some tea on Esilkd’s shelf.

“Hey!” Even had protested, flopping his long arms dramatically. “I’m only two years older than you, smartass.”

“Alright old man,” Isak had continued, pulling out two boxes of tea. “We have green tea or…” Isak had paused for a second. ”Cardamom french toast? Eskild, what kind of shit is this?”

Even had snorted, because honestly, he’s just as extra as Eskild.

“Fuck it,” he had said. “Let’s get some kardemmome.”

“Kardemmome!” Isak had exclaimed, intentionally breaking his voice as he grabs his mug from the shelf to his left.

Even had giggled, and then broke out until full hysterics as Isak started pouring water straight from the tap and into the mug.

Isak had turned the tap off, and turned to Even, completely confused.

“What?” he had said, his posture closed-off and defensive.

“Isak, you clueless boy,” Even had giggled, finally standing up straight and walking the short distance to grab the kettle that had been sitting on the counter. “You need to boil the water!”

Isak had blushed furiously. “I don’t fucking know!” he had exclaimed, his face getting redder with every word.

Even had just rolled his eyes, smiling. Honestly, this boy was just too endearing.

He had walked over to the sink where Isak was standing, hip checking him out of the way in order to fill up the kettle with water.

“I just have to do everything around here, don’t I?” Even had sighed, and Isak had punched him on the arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  


“Fuck!” Isak yells out, and Even looks up from his phone, completely startled.

Isak is frantically pressing buttons on his xbox controller, as he frantically tries to stop the opposite football team scoring. No such luck.

“Ugh!” Isak groans, dropping the controller and flopping down onto his back next to Even.

“Having trouble?” Even teases, and Isak flips him off, covering his eyes with his arm.

“Fuck fifa, honestly.” Isak whines, and Even smiles, locking his phone and putting it on the bedside table.

“I thought it was your favourite?’ Even says, scooting down the bed to lay down beside Isak, looking up at the white ceiling.

“Yeah,” Isak huffs, dropping his arm finally so that Even can look at his pretty face. “And my mortal enemy.”

“Fair enough.”

“Mmh.”

They lay there in silence for a couple seconds.

“What time is it?” Isak asks suddenly, turning his head to look at Even.

“Oh!” Even exclaims, fumbling for his phone, even though he’d literally just been on it. “22:39.”

“Ugh, it’s getting late.” Isak groans, and he turns his head back up at the ceiling again. Even mourns the fact that he can’t look into Isak’s eyes anymore.

“I guess I should probably get home.” Even sighs dejectedly.

“No!” Isak exclaims, and Even is so startled that he turns his head again to give Isak a quizzical look.

“I mean-” Isak stutters, his cheeks flushing considerably. “You don’t need to rush or anything, we like having you around here.”

Even smiles as Isak turns his head to meet his eyes. Fucking hell, this boy is too beautiful.

“Okay.” Even says simply, and that’s that.

Except Isak is giving him a look right now. Now, Even doesn’t want to toot his own horn, but he’s pretty decent at telling when someone wants to kiss him. All the signs are present on Isak’s face right now. He’s inadvertently biting his lip, green eyes only leaving his gaze in order to glance down at Even’s lips every so often. To be honest though, Even’s probably in the same state.

Even’s stomach is having a rave right now. Like seriously. He’s felt nervous in front of the people that he’s liked. But he’s never felt so simultaneously comfortable and excited and stable in his whole life, just staring into Isak’s eyes.

Even also has a pretty good gaydar, and even though Isak hasn’t mentioned his sexuality yet, he’s also 95% certain that Isak is into guys. 

He leans forward a little bit, raising his eyebrows, as if to say,  _ is this okay?  _

Isak meets him in stride, smiling softly, turning his body so that it’s facing Even’s, and well, that answers that question.

Even turns as well, because the angle is a little awkward, and this is so much better, because Isak’s breathing is hitched, and Even is on cloud nine, and-

Suddenly, they’re kissing.

Isak let’s out a deep breath, sighing as their lips meet tentatively. Even can’t help but smile into the kiss, and he scoots even closer, putting almost no space between them. Yeah, this is a lot better.

The kiss deepens naturally, and Isak’s hand comes up to cup Even’s face, and Even clutches on to Isak’s waist, almost scared to let go. Even runs his tongue lightly along Isak’s lower lip, not necessarily to slide his tongue into Isak’s mouth, but just so that he can taste.

Isak let’s out the smallest of moans, and Even wants to get on his knees and praise whatever deities may exist in this moment right now. Instead, he digs his fingers into Isak’s waist even harder, and runs his tongue along Isak’s lower lip again, this time, with more intent.

Isak responds without a beat, opening his mouth a little bit more, and tilting his head to the opposite side. He meets Even’s own mouth enthusiastically, sliding his tongue to meet Even’s, and this time, it’s Even who moans. Even didn’t even necessarily intend for them to get this far right away, but he is certainly not complaining, especially because Isak’s lips are so soft and wonderful, and he’s so perfectly warm and hot at the same time-

“Baby Jesus!” says a annoyingly familiar voice, opening the door with a loud bang, effectively making Isak and Even break apart.

Whatever part of Even’s soul that is mourning the loss of Isak’s lips is also smirking at the look of Eskild’s face when he realises what’s going on.

Isak, however, just groans and flops onto his back, throwing his arm over his face again. Even only imagines just how hard he’s blushing right now.

“Oh!” Eskild says, and Even doesn’t think he’s ever seen Eskild look so bewildered. He jams his thumb towards the door behind him. “I’ll just uh-” 

He turns abruptly, and exits, closing the door with a slam.

“Fuck.” Isak moans, his words muffled by his arm.

Even flops down onto his back as well, sighing loudly.

Isak finally takes his arm off his face, and as expected, it’s bright red. 

Even smiles, and he turns to Isak again. Isak meets his gaze, and suddenly, they’re giggling.

“Eskild!” Isak shouts through his laughs, loud enough for Eskild to hear him through the walls.

“Have fun, my ducklings!” Eskild’s voice shouts back, and Isak rolls his eyes into the back of his head. Dear God, he’s fucking cute.

“C’mere.” Even murmurs, reaching up to grab Isak’s chin and guide his face towards Even’s.

Isak smiles bashfully, following Even’s guidance in stride, and their lips meet again.

It’s not as intense as the last one, however, it’s enough to make Even feel like his brain is melting out of his feet. Their lips meet for one last, long peck, before they separate again, their faces still close together.

“Hey, Even?” Isak murmurs, rubbing his nose up against Even’s.

“Yeah?”

“I really like you.” Isak says, without a hint of shame. Instead, he’s looking into Even’s eyes without hesitation.

“I really like you, too.” Even sighs, and he leans in to peck Isak’s lips again gently, just because he can.

“But like,” Isak continues, clearing his throat. “In a gay way.”

Even laughs. “Oh shit,” he teases. “Sorry dude, but I’m straight.”

Isak, bless his heart, pulls back a little, his expression dropping. “Oh,” he says, pulling away from Even even more. “Sorry.”

“No!” Even exclaims, reaching back for Isak with a giggle. “I’m straight in the way that I like making out with boys and being in relationships with them.”

“Oh fuck you.” Isak grumbles, but he goes willingly back into Even’s arms.

Even smirks. “Well, maybe you should take me out to dinner first.”

Isak rolls his eyes.

They lie in silence for a beat, and the mood shifts. Suddenly, they’re looking into each others’ eyes, and it’s so wonderfully intense.

“You’re so gorgeous.” Even murmurs, and he reaches his hand up to run his fingers through Isak’s curls. And holy shit, they’re so soft.

“Um, no,” Isak says, his expression dead serious. “Have you seen yourself? You’re fucking sex on legs.”

Even smiles. “You compliment me so much,” he muses, gently bumping his forehead against Isak’s. “No, but seriously, you’re beautiful, Isak.”

Isak just flushes under the attention, and he leans in to kiss Even again, lingering for much longer this time.

Even takes advantage of this, pulling Isak back in to deepening the kiss, running his fingers gently along Isak’s jawline.

Isak, bless his soul, pulls Even along with him gently, and Even moves with him, so that he’s now on top of Isak. Their legs tangle together, and Even moves so that both of his forearms are surrounding Isak’s head.

It’s all Isak this time who slides his tongue into Even’s mouth, and Even eagerly follows his lead, brushing their tongues together lightly.

Isak runs his hands lightly up Even’s clothed chest, fingertips leaving behind trails of goosebumps in their wake. Like honestly, this boy is going to be the death of him.

Even sighs, moving one of his hands down to graze down Isak’s side to his thigh, hitching it up ever so gently. Isak is malleable in his hands, and Even almost thinks he can hear Isak whine at the attention.

And shit, Even definitely hadn’t expected this, but all of a sudden, it’s getting really hot, and he’s definitely getting hard. Sue him, okay. He hasn’t had sex in like, a year.

To be fair though, Isak doesn’t seem to be in a much better state than him, if the sweet little moans and frantic pulls at Even’s t-shirt are anything to go by.

Even pulls back, partly to stare at Isak, whose ( _ fucking hell _ ) lips are swollen and spit-slicked, and partly, to allow Isak to pull up his t-shirt even further.

“This okay?” Isak gasps, tugging Even’s shirt as much as he can, and Even takes the hint, and grabs the back of his shirt in order to pull it over his head and fling it out of sight.

“Um,  _ yes _ .” Even teases, smirking as he watches Isak’s gaze travel down to his chest. 

Even reaches his free hand down to Isak’s chest this time, allowing the other boy to take his time marveling at him. He’s wanting to smile so bad right now, but he doesn’t want to ruin the atmosphere, so instead, he listens to Isak’s increasingly heavy breathing as Even trails his fingers down to the hem of Isak’s shirt. He does the same that Isak had done, slowly pushing his t-shirt up his body, suppressing his gasp at the subtle, but definitely still there, six-pack on Isak’s stomach. Holy shit, this boy is so fucking  _ hot. _

He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Isak move so quickly, as he takes his fingers off Even’s chest in order to rip off his own shirt, yanking it over his head. His curls tumble out clumsily, and Even finally smiles. 

Isak throws his shirt somewhere in the room somewhere with Even’s, and then he turns back to Even, smiling as their eyes meet.

And even though they’re just two horny young adults, they can still have moments like these. Moments that make it more than just lust. That makes it worth everything.

Even leans in ever so slowly, connecting their lips softly. Isak meets him right in the middle, and he pulls Even back in between his legs once more, this time, hitching up both of his thighs so that Even can settle between his legs comfortably. They allow themselves to have this moment, exchanging soft kisses, until, the kisses are a little more frantic and there’s just a little (a lot) more tongue.

He’s absolutely enamoured with the small little noises coming out of Isak’s mouth, especially when Even grinds his hips ever so slightly forward. 

It’s a little uncomfortable in jeans, however, Even really can’t complain when he’s got this gorgeous boy underneath him. Isak just rests his hands on Even’s lower back, guiding him forward again so that their hips grind together a little harder. They both let out simultaneous sighs at that, and Even doesn’t feel as embarrassed anymore when he can feels Isak’s hardness brushing against his own.

“ _ Mmh. _ ” Isak keens, his fingers urging Even to keep going, and well, Even is not going to complain at that.

Even leans forward on both his forearms again, and presses a sloppy kiss to Isak’s lips, not even caring about finesse anymore. He grinds down harder this time with intent, and marvels at the noise that Isak lets out at that.

Their bare chests a rubbing together oh so wonderfully, and Even can’t help but establish a steady rhythm now. He lets out a small moan as the delicious friction makes his stomach swirl.

Isak is letting out these small, breathy gasps, and honestly, Even is fucking living for it. He wants to grind down against Isak and make him come in his pants, but honestly, the mess would be fucking disgusting. 

“Do you want to?” Even breathes against Isak’s lips, grinding down once more as if to motion to Isak’s just want he means. Isak, however, pulls back at this, and Even almost whines as their lips separate.

“All the way?” Isak murmurs, and Even’s not gonna lie, he looks nervous. To be fair, Even is pretty nervous as well, as he hasn’t gone as far with boys as he has with girls.

“We can do whatever you want,” Even says instead, keeping his body still as he gives Isak time to think. “Besides, I don’t even have any condoms.”

Even doesn’t even know that it was possible for Isak to blush even more, but he manages somehow.

“I want more,” Isak finally says, and he brings his hands up to run through Even’s flop of hair. “But I don’t do this very often.”

“It’s okay,” Even says quickly, reassuringly. “Just tell me if it gets too much, okay?”

“Okay.” Isak whispers, and he tugs on Even’s hair lightly to bring him closer.

Even goes willingly, and he connects their lips again, not even wasting time, sliding his tongue in Isak’s mouth like it belongs there.

Isak bucks his hips up, as if to let Even know that he can continue with his ministrations. But Even moves one of his hands down to Isak’s hip bones in order to stop his motions.

Isak whines at this, but Even isn’t wanting to stop. The pressure from his jeans is just getting too restricting, and honestly, it’ll just feel so much better without an extra layer of clothing.

He trails his hand from Isak’s hip bone to the hem of his jeans.

“Can I?” he asks, resting his fingers against the button of Isak’s jeans.

“Yes.” Isak gasps, and well, Even’s not gonna say no to that.

He undoes the button quickly, pulling the fly down, and pulling back ever so slightly to allow Isak to lift his hips up, so that Even can pull his pants down. Without much finesse, Even pulls them down to Isak’s thighs, and allows himself to bite his lip at the boy underneath him. 

Isak just whines, however, and frantically pulls at the button on Even jeans, almost ripping the fly down. Even giggles at the enthusiasm, and he pulls away entirely, stepping off the bed to completely pull his jeans down. Isak takes this time to wiggle out of his own jeans, and he ends up haphazardly chucking them across the room. Even steps out of his own jeans, thankful that he didn’t wear his super tight jeans today.

Once they’re both just in their boxer briefs, Even climbs back onto the bed, and they resume their original position.

They both moan as their hips grind together again, and Even almost rolls his eyes into the back of his head. Without the extra layers, everything just feels so much more intense.

Isak tugs his head closer, almost desperately, and their lips meet in a dirty kiss. Honestly, Even can’t help the pangs of arousal that are shooting down his stomach and to his cock. It’s all gonna be over really soon if he doesn’t get a hold of himself, because he can’t help but keep moving his hips forward.

Isak seems in a similar state, especially when Even finally disconnects their from their kiss in order to trail kisses down Isak’s neck.

Isak lets out a loud moan, if it’s anything to go by the red flush on his upper chest and the clenching of his stomach, he’s probably close. 

Even lets out a moan of his own at the thought of this, because he’s basically in the same boat here. Just the thought of Isak, completely flushed and hard, throwing his head back as he loses himself in an orgasm, is enough to make Even stop his motions, in order to preserve his dignity.

“ _ God _ , Isak.” Even groans out, and he moves his hand down Isak’s chest and to the front of his boxers, just resting on top of Isak’s cock.

“Please.” Isak breathes out, and he moves his hands to Even’s shoulders so that he can dig his fingers in.

And well, there’s no way in hell that Even’s would refuse that.

So, he begins to move his hand ever so gently, rubbing his thumb along the head.

Isak throws his head back, biting his lip as his breathing picks up even more. If it weren’t for the current circumstances, Even would almost be concerned at how heavily Isak was panting. Right now though, it's just fucking hot.

“ _ Even. _ ” Isak moans, and he moves his hips up into Even’s touch, allowing Even to rub his fingers along the head of his cock with even more intent.

Even is fucking living for this right now, and he can’t help but grind down into Isak’s thigh, letting out a strained breath at the relief.

“Do you have, like, lube, or something?” Even asks breathily, leaning down once more to place kisses along Isak’s jaw.

Isak starts at this, tilting his head back down to meet Even’s eyes, and  _ holy shit.  _ Isak’s pupils are wide and completely blown-out, almost entirely covering the irises of his eyes. His lips are red and bitten, cheeks flushed, hair all over the place. In short, he looks amazing.

He seems to process this for a second, before turning to his bedside table and opening the bottom drawer. He pulls out a moisturizer, and Even lets out a snort, as if he doesn’t do the exact same thing.

Isak just giggles along with him and hands Even the moisturizer.

Even throws it down on the bed to them, and runs his hand along the waistband of Isak’s  boxers, sitting up and resting up on his knees so that he can take all Isak in.

“Take them off,” Isak breathes, as he rests his knees up against Even’s torso, feet planted on the bed firmly. “Please?”

Even jumps into action, grabbing the elastic of Isak’s boxers with both hands and pulling down. Almost right away, Isak’s cock comes out and rests on his stomach, red and flushed, leaking precome at the tip. Even moans at the sight, and he pulls Isak’s boxers down Isak’s legs roughly, no longer caring about looking sexy anymore.

Suddenly, Isak’s boxers are off and he’s completely naked and gorgeous.  _ Fuck. _

Even grabs the moisturizer again, pumping some into his hands and spreading it around to warm it up.

Isak whines at him, and he wraps his legs around Even again and pulls him forward. Even goes willingly, this time leaning slightly to the side and moving Isak’s left leg down so that he can settle comfortably. Isak doesn’t even seem to realise this, instead, he just whines quietly in his throat, and grabs Even’s shoulder to pull him forward into a kiss.

Their lips meet, and Isak only breaks the kiss because Even’s hand has finally trailed down and grabbed his cock.

Isak gasps, and he throws his head back into the pillow once again.

Even bites his lip, and he focuses on technique, doing what he knows feels good for himself; tight on the downstroke, rub the head with his thumb on the upstroke. He’s fucking showering in Isak’s gasps right now, because the boy just can’t seem to keep quiet, despite the fact that he lives with two other people.

“You’re so hot.” Even moans, trailing his kisses down to Isak’s neck once again, allowing himself to suck on the skin there.

“ _ Faen. _ ” Isak moans, and he bucks his hips up into Even’s touch. Even allows him to take what he needs, because honestly, he hasn’t stopped grinding against Isak’s thigh since he got his hand around him.

The slick sounds of Even’s hand on Isak are enough to absolutely drive him crazy. The air is thick with lust around them, and everything in him is screaming  _ more, more, more. _

“Isak,” Even says, as he raises his head up to look into Isak’s eyes. “Look at me.”

Isak tilts his head down ever so slightly, and their eyes meet. Everything about it just feels so right,  _ fuck.  _ Isak is just so gorgeous and pliant lying there, taking what Even’s giving him. This moment just feels like a dream. Even feels like he’s going to wake up with sticky boxers any minute now, but it just keeps going, and his senses are on overdrive right now.

“I’m gonna-” Isak moans out, and his eyes roll into the back of his head, arching his back.

Even doubles his actions, tightening his grip ever so slightly, and he focuses more attention on the head of Isak’s cock, rubbing his thumb faster, like he does to himself when he’s close.

Isak lets out even louder gasps, his voice breaking and it’s so hot and adorable at the same time-

“Come for me.” Even gasps, his head swimming, tunnel vision on solely Isak.

“Ah!” Isak whines, and his stomach is contracting, his chest a deep red colour.  _ Just a little bit more _ , Even thinks, twisting his wrist, and, yeah.

Isak’s head bucks forward, looking down at Even’s hand on him, and then his breathing is speeding up even more, throwing his head back once more, and he comes.

Even can feel the wetness against his hand, aiding his movements even more, as he stares down at the wonder beneath him.

Isak’s hips buck forward erratically, and he’s moaning high in his throat, completely lost to the pleasure surrounding him. 

“ _ Mmh, _ ” he whines, and Even moans with him, his own movements erratic against Isak’s thigh as he feels the tension building up in his stomach.

Just like that, Isak flops back down onto the mattress, his stomach clenching with the aftershocks, and he closes his eyes, allowing his breathing to slow down.

Even takes his hand off Isak now, not wanting him to get too oversensitive. Instead, he shoves his own boxers down roughly and begins jerking himself off, not even bothering with teasing himself. He’s too close to even worry about Isak seeing him for the first time, especially since Isak opens his eyes once more, probably to see what all the rustling is for.

Isak is just looking at him, and he’s still panting, completely melted into the mattress, and honestly, that’s more than enough for Even.

Even tightens his grip on himself, and he moans at the feeling of Isak’s come on his hand mixing in with his own. His stomach clenches, and he can only imagine how much of a mess he must look right now, but everything just feels so good, and-

“ _ Even. _ ” Isak moans, and he’s biting his lip, completely focussed on Even’s face, and that’s it.

Even groans, tilting his head back and biting his lip so hard that he almost draws blood. And then he’s coming, and everything is too hot but just perfect at the same time. 

He wasn’t aiming for anything in particular, but the fact that it ends up on Isak’s stomach, and Even can’t even tell whose come is whose, well.

“Fuck!” he gasps, and then, he’s collapsing, nuzzling his head into Isak’s shoulder.

“Yeah.” Isak says, and his voice is completely wrecked. If Even hadn’t just come, he would’ve gotten hard at that.

 

They lay there for a bit, panting into each other’s skin, until Isak’s starts squirming at the come mixture drying on his stomach.

Even grins and props himself up on his elbow again, and he turns over to Isak’s besides table to grab some tissues from the box that sitting next to his lamp. He turns back and cleans up Isak’s stomach, teasingly pushing the tissues into Isak’s face.

Isak snorts and pushes Even’s hand away. “Fuck off.” he giggles.

Instead, Even throws the tissues somewhere onto the floor, which is something they’ll definitely regret later, but oh well.

He flops down once again, and Isak finally turns onto his side, he burrowing into Even’s chest.

“Stay.” he murmurs into Even’s still slightly flushed skin. And well. Even would literally rather throw himself out the window right now than leave.

“I’m not going anywhere.” he murmurs, running his fingers gently through Isak’s hair in order to smooth it out.

 

They sleep soundly throughout the night, and well, if they’re also late to work the following morning, their manager doesn't have to know.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious to know how y'all found that chapter, because I haven't written smut in like three years so I hope I'm not too rusty lol. Kudos are also welcome too :)  
> Also btw, I drink cardamom french toast tea and it's fucking delicious.  
> If you wanna talk or just hang out, my tumblr is unendeligtid


	4. Two Universes Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hasn’t gotten Isak anything.
> 
> With the busyness of the year, and the fact that they’ve only just started seeing each other, they’ve never talked about it. Even doesn’t even know if Isak wants anything. But he should still get him something, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!!!  
> You are now entering the point of no return. By this, I mean that this story will now be dealing explicitly with bipolar disorder, and everything that comes along with it. Please take care of yourselves, and please make sure that reading this story won't hurt you in any way.  
> As a disclaimer, I am not a person who suffers with bipolar disorder. I do, however, study psychology in university and therefore have learnt quite a bit from that. However, this is simply my interpretation of the illness, and it is not intended to belittle or offend anyone. If you feel differently, please let me know and I will change it! I have attempted to be as careful and as sensible as I can, especially regarding any depictions of mania that I may have. Thank you!
> 
> With that being said, I hope you enjoy!

This has probably been the best week of Even’s life.

And honestly, it has everything to do with Isak.

Of course, everything in his life has been good too. He’s got a decent job, he’s happy with his education, and he has a healthy relationship with his friends and family. It’s a whole lot better than Even could have ever imagined. Especially now that Isak is in the picture.

The last actual relationship he’d had was with Sonja. He loved her, he thinks, at one point. But then he went and got diagnosed with bipolar disorder and suddenly their relationship became about taking care of Even. He’s learned to appreciate Sonja as a friend now, because he knows that she has such a big heart, and that she just wants to make sure that Even is happy and healthy. Even will be forever grateful to her for how supportive she was. But honestly, now that they’ve grown up a little, they’re much better off as friends.

He likes to think that he was just waiting for the right person to come along. That person, just happened to come in the form of Isak Valtersen. Even’s not even sure if he believes in God, but something tells him that they were meant to meet. 

Ever since the night they got together, they haven’t stopped hanging out. 

 

“Have a good day!” Even exclaims as the last of the rush is walking out the door. Like clockwork, he and Isak let out synchronized sighs of relief. 

Even looks to his boyfriend, who is smiling sheepishly.

“Thank fuck.” Isak says, and Even scoffs.

“You curse like a sailor.” Even says, turning towards the pile of parcels that they hadn’t had time to put away properly yet.

“So do you.” Isak retorts, grabbing one of how own parcels and placing it on the outgoing bin that they have ready to be picked up.

“Okay,” Even retaliates, walking up to the bin, nudging Isak out of the way to put his own parcels down. “But this is a professional environment. What if Lise catches us?”

“Fucking whatever.” shrugs Isak, turning away to head back to his computer.

Even turns, his mouth open in shock.

“You’re such a menace!” Even teases, shaking his finger disappointedly at the beautiful boy in front of him.

“Uh, okay,” Isak says, rolling his eyes. “You weren’t calling me that in bed last night!”

Even blushes, which is quite unlike him. Usually, he’s the one making comments like that, trying to charm his pants off.

“Oh fuck you!” Even exclaims, letting out a disbelieving laugh. He heads back over to his boyfriend, standing right next to him at the counter. If anyone were to look at them in the security cameras, they would just see two coworkers sorting parcels side by side.

“Okay.” Isak breathes, dropping the parcel in his hands to look Even right in the eyes.

Even bites his lip, groaning into the heavens for the absolute little shit in front of him.

“It’s not fair,” Even whines, leaning his elbow on the counter. “Stop looking so hot when I’m trying to work!”

Isak laughs at this, and he turns back to his computer so that he can start inputting one of the many parcels that they’d been receiving since this morning.

Quickly, though, as if changing his mind, he turns back to Even with a coy smile.

“How ‘bout you come over to my place after work?” he says, raising his eyebrows suggestively, as if this wasn’t a normal occurrence between them. 

“Uh, actually,” Even says, leaning against the counter with his whole weight now. “I need to stop by my place and grab a few things.”

_ Grabbing a few things _ , being code word for,  _ I’ve run out the meds that I’ve been keeping in my work bag and I need to grab some more without you noticing. _

Because, yeah, Isak doesn’t know that he’s bipolar.

And it’s totally his fault too.

Normally, whenever he meets a new person, he’ll tell them about his mental health condition pretty quick. Sure, maybe he and Isak have only know each other for a few weeks, and have only been dating for not even a week now. However, Isak has become such an integral part of his life in such a short amount of time, that it feels wrong not to tell him. 

“Oh, okay,” Isak says, pouting a little. “But you’ll come over afterwards?”

“Of course.” Even smiles, and that’s that.

 

And so Even actually returns to his flat, completely alone, and it kind of feels weird.

“Even? Is that you?” yells out a voice from the living room.

Even smiles. Maybe coming home wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

“Hello!” Even says, trudging into the living room, and flopping down onto the couch.

“Oh my God!” Mikael gasps, clutching his hand to his chest. “He lives!”

“Oh fuck off,” Even retorts, kicking his legs up onto the coffee table. “At least I’ve been doing more than watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians!”

“The Kardashians are a national treasure,” Mikael says, flipping Even off without even looking at him, as his eyes are glued on the TV. “You’re just jealous.”

Even snorts. “I’m really not.” 

Mikael actually turns to look at him this time.

“Dude, you’re literally glowing.”

“Yeah, you caught me,” Even says, his face completely straight. “I’m six months pregnant.”

Mikael laughs and shoves Even’s shoulder lightly.

“No, but seriously,” Mikael says, taking his feet on the coffee table and sitting cross-legged instead. “How is it going with Isak?”

“Well,” Even says, unable to keep the grin off his face. “We may or may not be dating right now.”

Mikael gasps, throwing his arms up in the air.

“Um, dude!” he exclaims, and he grabs onto Even’s shoulder, shaking them. “I’m so fucking happy for you! Holy shit!”

Even laughs, allowing his body to be maneuvered by his friend.

“Why aren’t you with him right now?” Mikael continues, and he looks about two second away from jumping up and down on the couch from excitement.

“I had to grab my meds,” Even says, keeping his tone light and hoping to God that Mikael won’t make anything of it. “I’d run out of my little to-go bottle.”

Mikael stops, as if Even had just flipped a switch. Even prays a collective prayer that Mikael will leave it be.

“Have you told him yet?” Mikael asks, and, fuck.

“Told him what?” Even asks, feigning ignorance.  _ Please don’t make a big deal out of this, _ he pleads.

Mikael gives him a pitying look, and Even drops the façade all at once. Fuck, he really can’t lie to this dude.

“Okay, I haven’t,” Even says, and then, upon noticing Mikael’s face, rushes in to add, “But I will! I’m just waiting for the right time!”

The look that Mikael is giving him right now cuts through his entire soul. “Dude,” he says, and Even sighs, because he’s heard this speech before. “You need to tell him.”

Even rolls his eyes. “Okay, mom,” he says sarcastically, not even trying to hide the bite in his tone. “I’m just going to go up to the guy that I’ve just started seeing and tell him that I have a major mood disorder that makes me go crazy, and then expect him not to be freaked out by it. Great advice!”

Instead of being offended, Mikael just sighs. Because honestly, they’ve been through this conversation thousands of times.

“Even,” he says, his tone gentle. “You’re not crazy, okay? And I’m not saying that you need to tell Isak right this second, but he should know. He deserves it.”

“But what if I tell him, and then he decides that he can’t handle it and breaks up with me?” Even asks, all sarcasm gone. Instead, the shame rears its ugly head. The shame meaning, for example, when he kissed Mikael in high school while he was manic, and then proceeded to memorize the entirety of the Quran, only to then post homophobic verses all over his Facebook. Or how ‘bout the fact that once he had crashed, he had tried to kill himself? Yeah, it’s not exactly honeymoon phase-friendly.

“If he breaks up with you for something that you can’t control,” Mikael says, placing his hand back on Even’s shoulder. “Then fuck him. If he decides to bail because of something that hurts you, something that you’re managing extremely well, might I add, then fuck him. You deserve to be with someone who will be with all of you, even when things aren’t good.”

“I guess.” Even says, smiling a little because, fuck, he really loves his best friend.

“No,” Mikael argues, because he can’t just stop there. “Not  _ I guess. _ Not only is it the best thing that you can do for this relationship, but it’s the best thing that you can do for  _ yourself.  _ I know you don’t like it, but this is something that you’re going to have to deal with for the rest of your life. And I want you to be as happy as possible, okay?”

“Okay.” Even whispers, and is he tears up a little, well, Mikael wouldn’t rat on him to the rest of the boys anyways.

“Okay,” Mikael says, and he smiles, patting Even on the shoulder. “Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna go grab your meds and go to your boyfriend, and then, somewhere in the middle of the conversation, just casually mention that you’re on meds. If you don’t make a big deal out of it, then neither will he.”

“I can’t not make a big deal out of it.” Even argues, because it’s totally true. No matter how many times he utters the words,  _ I’m bipolar,  _ there’s always a lump the size of an elephant stuck in his throat.

“Okay,” Mikael says, shrugging his shoulders. “But you can assure him that everything is under control and that you’re stable with your meds. If you give him nothing to worry about, then he won’t worry.”

“That’s true,” Even reasons, because honestly, he’s too tired to argue. “I’ll figure it out somehow.”

“There you go,” Mikael says, thumping Even on the back. “Now go get your man.”

Even can’t help but smile. No matter what, he knows that Mikael will always have his back.

“Thanks.” He says, because he needs Mikael to hear it.

“Anytime.”

 

 

“Hei, Mamma.” Even greets his phone the next day during his lunch break with Isak.

Isak gives him a coy smile, as if to suggest that he’ll yell out something like,  _ pass the weed! _

Because even though Isak is twenty years old, he’s still such a brat.

Even narrows his eyes suspiciously.

“Hei, baby!” says his Mum through the phone’s speaker, and Even smiles. “What are you doing right now?”

“I’m just on my lunch break.” Even says, suppressing a laugh as Isak starts to make ridiculous expressions.

“Oh!” his Mum says, completely oblivious. “Well I’ll keep it short, but Mikael tells me that you have some news?”

Even flushes. “Have you been talking to Mikael again?” he exclaims, carefully avoiding Isak’s now curious gaze. “I swear; you talk to him more than you talk to your own son!”

His mum giggles. “He’s just so charming!” she says, and Even rolls his eyes. “But stop trying to distract me!”

This woman, honestly.

“Okay, yeah, fine,” Even sighs, already cringing at the amount of shit that he knows he’s going to get from Isak later on. “I’ve started seeing someone.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful, dear!” she says, and Even rolls his eyes again, but this time, he can’t keep the bashful smile off his face. “What’s her name?”

“Isak.” He says bluntly, because, he really loves his parents, but sometimes they tend to forget that Even is also into guys. It feels only a little erasing to his identity.

“Oh!” she exclaims, and Even snorts. “Well I’d love to meet him, dear.”

“Right,” Even says distractedly, because he’s glaring at Isak, who seems to be having a really hard time holding in his laughter. “Listen, Mum, I gotta go back to work now.”

“Oh, okay!” she says. “Before you go though, have you been taking your meds on time?”

“Yes, Mum,” he says, and by this point, he’s lost count of how many times he’s rolled his eyes in the past minute. “Everything’s fine, don’t worry.”

“Okay!” she says, and because God hates him: “Oh! By the way, your father and I have started these new early morning yoga sessions, and they’re supposed to be really good for you! Apparently mindfulness is great for balancing your mood! You should try it out, honey!”

“Yeah, maybe,” Even says distractedly, trying to suppress his own laughs because Isak is being cute right now. “I really got to get back to work though, so I’ll call you later?”

“Okay, bye Even!”

“Yeah, bye.”

He hangs up, and Isak lets out a loud, uninhibited laugh.

“Holy fuck,” he giggles, and Even thinks he looks adorable. “Your Mum is adorable!”

Even groans, hiding his face in his hands.

“That was so awkward.” He whines, which makes Isak laugh even harder.

“The bit about the yoga was my favourite.” Isak says, and he’s still giggling adorably, except, wait.

“You could hear her?” Even says, and shit. Did he hear?

“Just the bit about the yoga,” Isak says, and he looks so adorably confused at Even’s facial expression. Even reckons that he looks a little pale, eyes panicked. “I just pieced everything together for myself.”

Even sighs out in relief. Okay, so he probably didn’t hear, then.

Someone out there must really hate them, however, because at that moment, the timer goes off on Even’s phone.

They both groan in unison.

“Time to go back to hell.” Isak mutters, and he’s already up, packing his lunch away. Even, however, still feels a little frozen on the spot.

“You okay?” Isak asks, because, of course he notices.

Even shakes his head, clearing his mind.  _ Everything is okay, _ he tells himself.

“Yeah, but I need a kiss.” He says, or rather demands.

Isak rolls his eyes playfully, but obliges, plopping down next to Even.

“Yes, sir.” He murmurs, eyes tracing down to Even’s lips and then back up to his eyes again.

Even decides that he can’t wait any longer, as he cards his fingers through Isak’s hair and pulls him into a long, slow kiss.

Isak hums into it, clutching onto Even’s shoulders, as if grounding himself.

However, they both know that they have to get back. So, Even pulls back with a short peck, and then nuzzles their noses together.

“Now I’m okay.” He murmurs, and smiles when Isak does too.

 

 

They’re walking through the city when the idea hits him.

Christmas is less than a week away.

Even’s already done all of his shopping weeks ago, but something almost makes him physically stop in his tracks.

He hasn’t gotten Isak anything.

With the busyness of the year, and the fact that they’ve only just started seeing each other, they’ve never talked about it. Even doesn’t even know if Isak  _ wants _ anything. But he should still get him something, right?

Okay, let’s see, what does Isak like? Even decides to make a mental checklist:

  1. 90’s hip hop.
  2. Fifa, but he already has that.
  3. Even, but he also already has that.
  4. Biology.



Okay, the last point isn’t his strongest. Because Even knows next to nothing about biology, except that like, the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell.

But even with all those things, how would Even manage to make that even remotely romantic or sweet? Nothing screams,  _ take me to bed now _ , quite like science-talk.

But actually, wait, Even might be able to make this work.

“Say, Isak,” Even drawls, rubbing his thumb against their intertwined fingers. “What’s your favourite scientific theory?”

Isak hums, eyes focused on nothing in particular. In the time that he’s known him, Even has come to learn that that expression is Isak’s,  _ I’m thinking hard _ , face.

“Probably the String Theory or like, the concept of the Ekpyrotic Universe.”

Even blinks at him, actually making them come to a stop.

“You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.” Even laughs, and he reaches for Isak’s other hand.

“Okay, so, they’re both two alternating theories in Quantum Physics- “

“I thought you did Biology.” Even says, and then promptly shuts his mouth at the warning look that Isak gives him.

“Anyways,” Isak continues, swinging their joined hands absentmindedly. “You’ve probably heard of the String Theory before, or the Parallel Universe Theory? Basically, this theory states that every single outcome of the decisions that we make is possible,  _ no _ , is happening, right now, somewhere, in another universe. Like, for example, maybe there is a universe where I never moved from Grünerløkka, and maybe we happened to meet at school instead. Or maybe a universe where we met in high school and started dating when I was still in the closet. But sometimes, it’s small things. Like, for example, we’re walking down this exact same street, holding hands, except, like, I don’t know, your hair is brown. It doesn’t really matter, but because I’ve mentioned the  _ possibility  _ of it happening, it is happening in other universes.”

“Hm.” Even says noncommittally, nodding for Isak to continue, because honestly, he’s totally enraptured.

“Oh, yeah,” Isak says, and his eyes are still glazed over, something that he does when he’s talking about science. “So the Ekpyrotic Theory is a lot more complex, but I’ll try and break it down. So, it’s basically an alternative explanation, no, an  _ expansion _ onto the Big Bang Theory.”

Even nods along, because, he definitely knows that one.

“So the Big Bang Theory states that our Universe started from one singular point, right, and then exploded into what we know now?” Isak says, and God, he’s so beautiful. “Well, basically, this new theory states that our Universe actually is the accidental result of two separate three-dimensional Universes colliding together, which then stick together due to their attracting kinetic energy, and then, in this new universe, the Big Bang phase begins. This is an alternative explanation as to why we might have stars and other galaxies, because these two universes are homogenous. With the original idea of the Big Bang, it creates an inhomogenous universe, which means that there would be no natural explanation for all the other stuff that we know occurs naturally in outer space. Am I boring you?”

“No!” Even nearly shouts, and Isak grins bashfully. “I’m just trying to take this all in.”

“It’s okay,” Isak says, and Even can’t tell if his face is red due to the cold weather, or to the fact that he’s blushing. Probably a bit of both. “It took me forever to understand it.”

“But what does this theory have to do parallel universes?” Even asks.

“Well, it’s not intended to be an alternate explanation about the String Theory,  _ per se _ ,” Isak says, and he detaches one of his hands from Even’s to scratch the back of his head. “The way that I think about it, is that these two universes, for whatever reason, were so kinetically attracted, that they created an entire race of sentient beings, who have the power to both fuck up, or save the universe. And who knows? These two universes could have already contained something similar to human beings before colliding. Either way, I don’t like to think of the universe as just random. Everything fits, in one way or another. These two seemingly perfect worlds found each other, for whatever reason, created more than just a singularity. They created an infinite universe where anything is possible.”

“Wow.” Even murmurs, because honestly, could Isak be any more attractive?

“Of course, these theories are still fairly new,” Isak says quickly, as if to backtrack what he’d just said. “And it’s hard to test theories like these. And besides, it’s all just speculation- “

“You’re beautiful, have I told you that?” Even says, and Isak flushes.

“Maybe once or twice.” He murmurs, looking down at the ground sheepishly.

Even grabs Isak’s other hand again, and he leans in closer, placing a peck on Isak’s forehead.

“Let’s go back to your place, baby,” he says, not even allowing himself to think about the fact that he’s just called Isak  _ baby _ for the first time. “It’s getting cold.”

Just like that, Even fucking knows what he’s getting Isak for Christmas.

It comes to him in a sudden epiphany as they had been walking home.

Even’s a film student, who makes films with his friends. He has camera equipment and expensive editing software, and he’s such an idiot. He’s going to make Isak a film. Not just a film, but he’s going to make a film about this Ekpyrotic Theory.

He’s gotten to know Isak really well this past little while. He knows what makes Isak happy. Isak loves his friends, he loves making them happy, and he loves learning. And Even loves watching him talk about the things that make him happy. Even if it’s total jargon, it doesn’t matter, so long as his eyes light up like Christmas lights.

And so, head swimming with ideas, Even heads home later that night (because they’re actual responsible adults, okay?), already forming the plot in his head.

He writes everything down so that he doesn’t forget it, from plot, to the shot-list, to the editorial effects that he knows he wants to use. This is going to be fucking awesome.

So awesome, in fact, that when he comes into work the following morning, a little more chipper than usual, he’s forgotten to take his meds.

 

 

“What’s your favourite movie?” Isak murmurs to him that night, all snuggled up in his arms.

Even has to think for a moment. Because there are honestly so many wonderful films that he’s watched that he doesn’t think he can just narrow it down to one.

“I don’t know for sure,” Even says, and he places a kiss into Isak’s hair, just because he can. “But my favourite director is Baz Lurhmann.”

“Baz Lurhmann?” Isak says, and when Even looks down at his face, Isak’s eyebrows are furrowed in confusion.

“Romeo + Juliet?” Even says, rolling his eyes as if it’s obvious.

“Oh,” Isak says, and then. “Isn’t that a Shakespeare play though?”

Even scoffs, not unkindly. “Well, yes,” he says, because, okay yeah, you need to credit the source material. “But his adaptation with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio?”

“Oh!” Isak says, and he’s shuffling up into Even’s arms so that their eyes meet. “Young Leo?”

Even smirks. “Yeah, when he was hot.”

“Fuck,” Isak moans, and he slumps back down onto the mattress, fanning his face. “Young Leo was my ultimate gay awakening.”

“Should I be worried?” Even teases, ruffling Isak’s curls fondly.

“No,” Isak scoffs, and he resumes his place back on Even’s chest. “Tell me about it, then.”

“Well,” Even starts, because, he won’t shut up about film. “Apart from the obvious tragic ending of the story, it’s just so genius how Lurhmann manages to incorporate all of these different themes into his stories. Like the religious undertones and the- “

“Even?” Isak interrupts, except he’s not even looking at him.

“Yes?”

“Uh,” Isak stutters, finally looking into Even’s eyes. “You’re hard.”

Even blinks. Oh, whoops.

He looks down, past Isak, only to find, that yeah, he’s hard. Like, really hard.

Oh, man, how had he not noticed it until now? Like, sure, being around Isak is enough to make him pop a boner at any time, but he usually doesn’t get aroused when talking about film. How strange. And another thing that’s strange-

“Even?” Isak interrupts his thoughts, and Even looks down to the grinning face of his boyfriend, and maybe this isn’t such a bad thing after all.

“Whoops.” He chuckles, pulling Isak closer.

“Guess you got just a little bit too passionate there, huh?” Isak says, and then he’s slinking down Even’s body, before he can say anything else.

Once Isak gets down to the bulge on his sweatpants, Even sighs. What a wonderful boyfriend he’s got.

“Need some help with that?” Isak says, his voice breathy. Even sighs, running his fingers through Isak’s hair.

“Yes please.” Even whispers, because how can he not be affected by this gorgeous boy in front of him?

Whatever doubts or questions that had been floating through his head now disappear as Isak finally swallows him down.

Instead, he arches his back off the mattress, letting out a sighed moan as Isak does The Thing with his tongue.

 

 

Somehow, he doesn’t really remember why he was so stressed out about taking his medication every day. Because like, the planning for Isak’s film is going so well. He’s going to start shooting tomorrow and honestly, the only thing holding him back is work. Like yeah, he’s gets to see Isak, but also, he’s just wasting his time with this job. He needs to be out doing his passions, not slaving away to some corporate sham.

Unfortunately, Isak doesn’t see it the same way.

“You’ve never complained about this place before,” Isak argues, and he’s got a strange sort of expression on his face, but it makes Even’s head buzz, so he decides not to think about it. “I don’t see what the problem is.”

“The problem is,” says Even, as he’s standing at his own computer, inputting more parcels. “That we’re all just wasting our time here! Like, I know you feel the same way!”

“Okay sure,” Isak concedes, putting the cap back onto the permanent marker that he’d just been writing with. “But we need to make money somehow, right? This is all just means to an end.”

“Means to an end?” Even scoffs, placing the parcel carelessly to the side. “I don’t want that though. Two universes didn’t collide together just so that we could work this shitty job instead of doing something meaningful with our lives. Like, that’s kind of fucked up, isn’t it?”

“Even!” Isak scolds, but his voice doesn’t sound very playful. “Whatever happened to,  _ don’t swear at work, Isak? _ ”

“Whatever,” Even scoffs, because honestly, what had he been thinking? “I’m a passionate guy, I like swearing! I thought that you of all people would understand, about how much importance we as a society put on censorship in language. You know that I say, fuck that!”

“There’s also a time and a place,” Isak says, and his eyebrows are furrowed again. It makes Even a little uncomfortable. “And you were right before, this is not the place to swear.”

Even rolls his eyes, lifting up the current parcel that he had been inputting from the table, and heading to the back to place it on one of the shelves.

Let’s see, they have a numeric system to keep these parcels organized, so surely this has a place, just like everything else in this universe.

Even places the parcel down and heads back to Isak, who doesn’t seem to have moved.

“Even,” he starts hesitantly, wringing his hands together. “Are you okay?”

“Okay?” Even scoffs, because seriously, he’s great. “Of course I’m ok- “

Wait a second.

Has he been sleeping properly? No, he’s been working on Isak’s present.  Has he been taking his meds? No. Has he just completely chewed Isak’s ears out with rapid, nonsensical chatter? Yes. Is his brain whirring? Fuck yes.

“Even?” says a voice, but Even’s not paying attention.

Instead, he’s running back to the staff room and grabbing his phone. With shaky hands, he dials Lise’s number.

“Hel-” Even interrupts her before she can even finish.

“You know how when you hired me, I told you about a certain condition that I dealt with?” Even says, cutting straight to the point.

“Uh, yeah,” Lise says, clearly taken aback. “What about it?”

“Okay great, listen,” Even continues, pacing around the room, because there was no way in hell he could sit right now. “I’m not going to be able to come into work for the next little while, because I’m not feeling very well right now. Like, I’ll keep you updated and everything but like-“

“Even!” she interrupts, and Even stops fidgeting for a second. “Of course you can take time off! I want my employees happy and healthy whenever they work, and you don’t sound like you’re okay to be working right now.”

“Not really.” Even whispers, and although he’s stopped pacing, his foot is tapping like crazy right now.

“Okay, Even,” she says, and the way that she speaks reminds him of his mother. “You should head home, okay? I’ll cover the rest of your shift with Isak, and you just let me know when you’re able to come into work again.”

“Thank you.” He says, and honestly, the words are clogged up in his throat.

“You’re welcome.”

He hangs up the phone, and then dials the number of the only other person that he wants to talk to right now.

“Hei, Even!” his mother’s voice greets cheerfully into the phone, but Even doesn’t have time for this right now.

“Mamma,” he says, and he can’t help but start pacing again. “I fucked up.”

Normally, he would be berated for cussing in front of his mother. However, she just happens to have some sort of freaky instincts with this stuff, because she doesn’t even mention it.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I’m hypomanic.” Even says.

The Gods really do hate him. Or maybe it’s the two universes that collided and thus became the one that he lives in now. Maybe in an alternate universe, he feigns sick to Isak, and heads home.

In this universe, however, there is an Isak standing in front of him, leaning against the doorframe, and he has just heard every single word that Even has said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha whoops? Sorry.
> 
> If you want to come yell at me, my tumblr is unendeligtid.  
> As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	5. I'm Just an Asteroid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, Even can’t stand it anymore. Isak isn’t stupid. If he knows what hypomanic means, then he’ll know that Even is bipolar. If not, well then, he would’ve asked by now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halla!  
> Another small update just to not leave y'all on your seats lol.  
> I would also like to mention one thing before I start this. I have written it with intentional run-on sentences and the train of thinking is a little sporadic. This is on purpose, as I believe that this most accurately fits Even's train of thought on my interpretation of his hypomania.  
> With that being said, enjoy!

“Even!”

Even startles at the feminine voice in his ear.

“Uh…” he stammers, but he’s staring at Isak who is standing in front of him, blood drained of his face.

“Even, sweetie,” says his mum, and oh yeah, he’s on the phone. “Did you want to come home?”

“Yeah.” he says, because he doesn’t know what else to say right now. His brain is too loud and there’s too much going on all at once.

“Okay,” she says. “Will you come over now?” 

“Yeah.” and then he hangs up.

He doesn’t want to seem rude, but honestly, that is the last thing on his mind right now.

He and Isak are standing in deafening silence.

Suddenly, Even can’t stand it anymore. Isak isn’t stupid. If he knows what hypomanic means, then he’ll know that Even is bipolar. If not, well then, he would’ve asked by now.

So instead, Even packs up his bag in silence, willing himself not to blurt out something stupid. Isak is still just standing there, completely speechless. Even almost wants him to say something. To scream at Even and tell him that he’s crazy, just so that Even can have a reason to be mad at him. Then again, Even thinks that even if Isak told him he was crazy, he still couldn’t be mad. Not at Isak. Isak,  _ fuck, _ who is absolutely kind, and sweet, and beautiful, and hot, and funny, and-

“What’s going on?” Isak says, swallowing thickly. Even winces at the abrupt interruption of silence.

“I’m going home.” Even says shortly, pulling on his jacket. “Lise’s going to cover for me, she’ll be here in a bit.”

He keeps his words professional, distant. No point in getting emotional now. Even thinks that his brain would actually explode.

“Because you’re…” Isak pauses, wringing his hands. He doesn’t look awkward, bless him, rather, he looks very confused.

“Hypomanic?” Even guesses, and laughs when Isak gives a little nod. “Yes. There are better things for me to be doing right now. You don’t need me here.”

Even already hates himself for saying that. Especially when Isak’s face falls even more.

“Don’t say that.” Isak whispers, and he looks so incredibly small.

“It’s true,” Even says, and he swings his backpack over his shoulders. “You don’t need to deal with me. Just forget about it.”

Before Even can say anything else, attempts to walk out, ready to deal with the damage at a later date. Isak, however, puts a hand on his chest to stop him.

“Even,” he whispers, and there are tears in his eyes. “Please.”

“Call me after work,” Even says, because he can’t bear the sight of Isak crying. “I’ll explain everything.”

“Just promise you’ll pick up?” Isak asks, and his teary eyes haven’t wavered from Even’s.

“I promise.” Even says, and then he rushes forward to kiss his boyfriend, possibly for the last time. Isak, however, grips onto his arms tight, breathing heavily into the kiss. Before Even can lose his mind, he pulls back.

  
  


He’s on the tram now, to his parents place, and everything is passing by in a blur, just like the trees outside.

Somewhere in his mind, though, he reckons that he should call Mikael. Even doesn’t even remember dialing his best friends number, but suddenly-

“Halla!”

“Mikael,” Even says, cutting straight to the chase. “I’ve totally fucked everything up with Isak but it’s okay because now he doesn’t have to deal with me anymore and-”

“Wait!” Mikael interrupts, and there is some shuffling in the background. “What’s going on?”

“Okay, so I’m at work, right?” Even says, and he doesn’t even give Mikael a chance to finish. “And me and Isak are just talking, and then he suddenly goes  _ ‘are you okay?’, _ and then I’m like  _ ‘Of course I’m okay!’, _ but then I realise that I’m speaking really fast and not making any sense and that I’ve stopped taking my meds and then I realise that I’m probably hypomanic!-”

“You stopped-”

“Yeah!” Even interrupts, not even paying attention to the woman in front of him who is eyeing him strangely. “So then I realise that I probably shouldn’t be at work, so I called my mum to tell her, but Isak heard everything, so that’s great. And then I made him cry, which is even better. I said that he should call me after work, but I highly doubt that’s going to happen-”

“Even,” Mikael says, and Even stops when he hears how sad Mikael sounds. “You’re breaking my heart, man.”

“Oh,” Even stops for a second. “I’m sorry.” Because that’s what you’re supposed to say.

“Don’t apologize,” Mikael lets out a long breath. “You never need to apologize for that. Just please tell me that you’re headed home?”

“I’m going to my parents’.” Even says, tapping his fingers, because he really can’t stay still.

“Okay,” Mikael says, and then he sighs. “It’s going to be okay Even, you know that right?”

“It’s going to be okay.” Even repeats, because he needs to say it.

“I love you, man,” Mikael says, and Even smiles. “Take care of yourself, and let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“Love you too, man,” Even replies, and the woman in front of him smiles at him. “See you later.”

“Ha det.”

  
  


By the time Even arrives at his parents’, his mother is already waiting for him, a small smile on her face.

“Hei, baby.” she says, as she envelopes Even into the warmest hug as soon as he steps through the threshold. He outgrew her years and years ago, but she still has the ability to make him feel safe in the way that only a mother can.

“Hei.” he says, burrowing his face into her shoulder.

“You feeling okay?” 

“Yes.” Even says, pulling away from her arms, because he can’t keep still for too long.

She smiles at him, but it doesn’t really reach her eyes.

“Okay, baby,” she says, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s get you settled, then.”

  
  


It feels like no time has passed at all when Even hears a knock at his door. Realistically, he knows that it’s definitely been a few hours, and that he’s been drawing doodles of Isak the entire time.

“Come in.” he calls out, because it’s probably his mother bringing some dinner.

Except, it’s not his mother than opens the door, it’s Isak.

Even startles, slamming his notebook closed.

“Hei.” he stammers, throwing his notebook to the side.

“I… stopped by your place,” Isak says, and he stays in the door frame, not entering Even’s room. “I met Mikael, and he told me that you were here, so.”

Even nods, and honestly, he really isn’t sure what to say. He could just go out and tell Isak everything. About how he’s bipolar, or how his mood goes haywire sometimes, or maybe how he has the propensity to fuck things up. He could lie and tell Isak some sort of bullshit excuse. In the back of his mind, he can hear Mikael, screaming at him to  _ just tell the truth already! _

In the end, it’s Isak that beats him to it.

“You had me really worried today,” Isak says, finally stepping into Even room, but he doesn’t sit on the bed. Instead, he appears nervous, as if getting ready to flee at any moment. “And I want to ask what’s going on, but I also don’t want to rush you. All I want to know is if you’re okay.”

“What do you think is going on?” Even asks hoarsely, because he really can’t say it.

Isak falters, before finally deciding to sit down next to Even on the bed, still putting a decent amount of space between them.

“I don’t really want to make assumptions,” Isak sighs, looking down at his hands in his lap. “But from what I’m guessing, you’re bipolar?”

Swallowing the massive lump in his throat, Even nods. There’s nothing he can do to salvage this.

“I’d love to hear about it from your point of view,” Isak says, and honestly, that’s probably the first time that anyone has ever said that to Even. “Of course, I know a little bit, and I can ask my friend Magnus about it, because his mum is bipolar. But despite that, no one can experience the same things that you do.”

Even has to bite his tongue, because, if he doesn’t, he will tell Isak that he loves him. 

“But, before you do that,” Isak continues, turning his body fully towards Even’s. “I want you to be okay.”

“I’m… okay right now.” Even says, because even though all these doubts and uncertainties are running through his head at a rapid speed, he also feels entirely awake right now. That’s the good thing about hypomania; it’s not as completely life-ruining as regular mania, instead, it just makes Even extremely productive.

“Okay,” Isaks says, and when Even looks into his eyes, he doesn’t spot a single speck of uncertainty in them. “Everything is in your hands right now. I can stay, or I can leave you alone until you’re feeling up to seeing me again.”

Even definitely does not want to leave Isak. The thing is, however, that he needs to finish Isak’s Christmas present, and this is kind of the perfect opportunity. Isak can’t be spoiled, however, and so Even needs to finish this on his own.

“I think I’ll stay here for a couple days,” Even says, and he can’t help but bounce up to his feet again, because he really wants to get his camera out. Or rather, he needs to call Mikael so that he can grab his camera from their flat. “I have something that I need to finish.”

“Will you call me when you want to hang out?” Isak asks, and he looks so incredibly small. Even can’t help but surge forward to kiss him. He sits down on the bed and grabs Isak’s head, pulling him into a kiss. Before Isak can even kiss back, Even pulls away so that he can start pacing again.

“Isak,” Even says, and he can feel his brain whirring with hundreds of ideas. “I want to hang out with you all the time. But I can’t because I need to get this done, and then when I show you what I’m really like then you’ll probably break up with me and I’ll be alone all over again and-”

“Stop,” Isak says, his voice firm and unwavering. “You don’t know shit about how this is going to end. I don’t know either. All I know, is that by some chance, out of all the universes that could’ve collided together, we happen to exist together. I don’t want to let that go.”

“Isak,” Even laughs, and he must look totally insane. “You don’t have to deal with this if you don’t want to.”

“I’m not ‘dealing’ with this,” Isak says, completely calm. “I want to be with you, Even. _ All _ of you. Okay?”

Even says nothing. He doesn’t really know what to say to Isak right now. He fucking loves him so much, and he really just needs to show Isak how much he loves him.

Isak simply gets up from the bed, reaching out for Even in order to pull him into an embrace. 

“We still need to talk about this,” Isak whispers, rubbing soothing circles into Even’s back. “And I’m willing to give you as much time as you need to do that. So just do what you need to do, and let me know when you’re ready?”

Another problem for another time. However, he can certainly appreciate Isak even more right now. He is being an absolutely wonderful human being. Even figures that the universes were probably made for them to meet. Or maybe not. Maybe it is all a coincidence that he and Isak met, but the stars and galaxies and the universes collided for them. Or maybe Even simply collided into Isak.

“Okay.” he says, and Isak gives him a small smile at that. Isak leans in, presumably to kiss Even. Instead, however, their foreheads meet. The beautiful greens and blues of Isak’s eyes meet his, and Even thinks that he can see the stars.

“I’m not going to give up on you,” Isak breathes, the consonants melding together like constellations in the sky. “I’ve only just found you.”

“I think you’re my entire universe,” Even says, because he needs to. “And I’m just an asteroid.”

“If it weren’t for asteroids, Earth wouldn’t exist.” Isak says, nuzzling Even’s nose.

“They also have the ability to destroy everything.” Even says, because Isak needs to understand. He understands that Isak is an absolutely wonderful and caring individual. He also understands that asteroids can wipe out entire populations, no matter who they love.

“Call me,” Isak whispers, pressing the softest of kisses to the corner of Even’s mouth. “And stay safe.”

Nothing is safe in space, but Even will try nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a bit emo there at the end whoops.  
> Also omg one more chapter!! Expect quite a big one. I'm so incredibly humbled by the response I've had for this fic so far, so thank you for reading!  
> Come chat with me: https://unendeligtid.tumblr.com/  
> As always, kudos and comments are very welcome!


	6. To: My Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, Even is tired. He is tired and he is getting more and more tired by the minute.
> 
> The silver lining to this, however, is that Isak’s film is done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter is here. Sorry I couldn't get it up before Christmas, but consider this my gift to you.  
> Enjoy!

If someone were to ask Even what he had done over the past couple of days, he wouldn’t be able to tell them.

Not because he doesn’t remember, per se, however, it’s more that everything passed by in a blur. Shaky hands thrumming with energy, sleepless nights spent by the blue haze of the computer, infinite universes.

Now, Even is tired. He is tired and he is getting more and more tired by the minute. 

The silver lining to this, however, is that Isak’s film is done.

It’s done and Even can’t concentrate on anything anymore. That’s the thing about depression; it doesn’t always feel sad and horrible. Sometimes, Even just feels the numbness, or rather, the numbness reels him in like a black hole. Silent, unexpected, and completely crushing.

He’s been staring at his phone screen for the past ten minutes, unable to make himself call the person he so desperately needs to talk to right now. He knows that there’s nothing stopping him, but whenever he goes to unlock his phone, his movements feel slow, like molasses.

A knock on the door breaks him out of his stupor.

“Come in.” he calls out hoarsely.

Instead of his mum, which is who he had expected, it’s Mikael.

“Hey, bud.” he says, quietly closing the door behind him, small smile on his face.

Mikael sits down on the bed, and Even immediately leans his head on his best friends’ shoulder. In turn, Mikael wraps his arm around his back, rubbing between his shoulder blades soothingly.

“Hi.” Even murmurs quietly, nuzzling into Mikael’s bony shoulder, shielding himself from his phone.

“How are you feeling?” Mikael asks quietly, running his finger up to thread through Even’s disheveled hair.

“Mmh.”

“Isak stopped by,” Mikael continues, and Even can feel his head turning inward slightly. “He was very worried.”

“I know.” Even whispers, because honestly, what can he say?

“Did you tell him?”

“He figured it out for himself.” Even’s mouth feels like sandpaper.

“And what did he say?” Mikael asks hesitantly, almost as if he was scared of the answer.

“It was fine,” Even murmurs, and then lets out a long breath. “He said to call him when I was ready to explain everything. But I can’t do it.”

“Why not?” Mikael asks, and Even resists the urge to roll his eyes.

“Because then it’ll become real.” Even whispers, words barely legible, and he figures that Mikael can only make them out because he’s heard them before.

It’s the reason why Even can’t say it out loud. The reason why the words  _ I’m bipolar  _ get stuck in his throat and instead get replaced with a sick sense of dread. When it’s in his head, it’s only his problem. When he says the words out loud, suddenly his diagnosis becomes so much more real and so much more scary.

“Even,” Mikael sighs, and Even already knows what he’s going to say. “It’s real no matter how it’s said. If Isak is willing to hear you out, and you’re serious about him, then you need to talk to him.”

“I know.” 

“You are serious about him, aren’t you.” Mikael asks, and Even actually raises his head at that.

“I’ve never felt like this about anyone.” Even murmurs, looking his best friend in the eye. Even can only imagine just so terrible his own eyes looks. Blue nebulas clouded with sickness and guilt.

“Then  _ talk _ to him,” Mikael reiterates, and he places his hand gently on Even’s shoulder. “Despite what you might think, there are people in this world who are supportive and understanding. And when you find them, you need to hold on to them with everything you’ve got. Because if you don’t, then they’ll be gone.”

“But what if I hurt them?” Even whispers, and he can feel his shoulders curling in involuntarily.

“I’ve known you for a long time,” Mikael murmurs, a small smile on his face. “And during this time, I’ve seen someone who has struggled a lot, prevailed through a lot, and through it all, you’ve always had other people’s best interests in mind. You have always tried your best to help others. The only thing that has gotten in the way of that is your mental illness. It has hurt other people, but most of all, it has hurt  _ you.” _

“It’s not about blame,” Even argues, running his hand through his hair. “It’s about the fact that it  _ has _ hurt people. And it could hurt Isak.”

“But you haven’t had any malicious intent,” Mikael argues back gently. “And I think that you should at least talk to Isak before you jump to any conclusions. He deserves that.”

“I know.”

“Call him,” Mikael urges, and he grabs Even’s phone and places it in his hand. “You don’t want to throw this away. Trust me.”

Even stares at his phone. He just can’t get himself to call.

“Fuck this,” he murmurs, and in a rush, he stands up. “I’m just going to go to his place.”

Mikael smiles up at him.

“Go get him.”

  
  


Isak’s door has never looked so intimidating. 

Any other day, Even wouldn’t even knock before inviting himself in. Instead, he’d just barge on in, yelling out a greeting to announce his presence. He’d normally hear a shout back from Eskild, something along the lines of “Stud Muffin!”. Even would then pass by Linn’s room, knocking on the door and giving her a quick greeting, before slamming Isak’s door open and launching himself on Isak’s bed. Normally, Isak would be fucking around on his laptop or phone, and he would always snuggle right into Even’s arms.

Not today, though.

Before he can lose any more nerve, he knocks.

Luckily, the door is opened by Eskild, who does a double-take.

“Hei, Even,” he says, and he gives him a small smile. “How are you?”

Even isn’t sure how much Isak has told his roommates, but Even is sure he’s said something. Either that, or it’s evident how terrible Even looks right now.

In any case, Even shrugs.

“Can I come in?” he asks instead, and he clutches the laptop that he’d brought with him closer to his chest.

“Of course,” Eskild gives him an even wider smile. It doesn’t feel fake. Instead, it feels like coming home after a long day. “Isak’s in his room.”

Even gives his best impression of a smile back, and shuffles through the doorway as Eskild moves out of the way, toeing off his shoes as he does so.

He trudges down the hall, socked feet dragging on the floor. A pit of dread settles in his stomach. It’s not that he doesn’t want to see Isak. Rather, he’s scared of what will happen when he does see Isak.

Unfortunately, the walk is short, and Even is at Isak’s door. It feels so incredibly wrong to just walk in, and so, gathering his wits, Even knocks.

“Eskild, for the last time, I don’t want any tea!” calls out a voice from the inside. Isak.

Despite the overwhelming crushing depression, Even chuckles a little. Then, he clears his throat.

“Not Eskild.” he calls out hoarsely.

Silence. Then quick footsteps. Then the door is bursting open.

Isak is standing there, curls in disarray, eyes wild. He looks beautiful. Ethereal. 

“ _ Even. _ ” he breathes.

“I have something for you.”

  
  


The lights are off, as per Even’s request. They’re propped up against Isak’s pillows, duvet on their laps. Even’s laptop is open and the screen is black. Before Isak can say anything, Even hits the spacebar, and the film starts.

The first shot focusses on a single white envelope, lying on the pavement. It is not addressed, and there is no postage on it. The stop motion begins. Slowly, the letter begins to move, frame by frame, traveling alone. Until it isn’t alone. All of a sudden, the envelope meets another, and the moment they touch, the world bursts into colour.

Patterns of purple and blue swirl onto the envelopes, melding together, becoming one. More pieces of paper join the shot, one by one, and doodles appear. The silhouette of a boy, shoulders hunched, curls in disarray. Cups of tea. Kardemomme. Bitten lips and red noses. Two boys standing across from each other, becoming closer, until their foreheads are joined. The doodles are folded up, and one by one, they file into the two envelopes.

The rate in which they are traveling across the pavement is speeding up, until suddenly, one envelope is ahead of the other. Eventually, the envelopes separate again. The image stops on the now lone envelope.

The image is now still on the envelope. However, the envelope begins to deteriorate. Feet trample over it. It begins to snow. The colours are bleeding together, splotched and blown out.

Slowly, words begin to appear onto the envelope.  _ To: my universe, _ it reads. A stamp is placed on the left hand corner. An asteroid is doodled on the envelope, ink smudged. And suddenly, the envelope starts again, moving fast.

It travels alone, frame by frame, until suddenly, it isn’t alone anymore. 

It isn’t alone.

The last shot, the two envelopes are touching again. Only, this time, the second envelope reads, _I_ _Love you._

The screen fades to black.

Even has seen this part so many times, spent so long editing it. He isn’t even watching it anymore. He is watching Isak’s every move. Isak has been silent the entire time. The only indication of emotion that Even is able to decipher is the lone tear that is tracing down his cheek.

As the film ends, Isak turns to him, and even though the light is off, Isak’s teary eyes contain the entire universe. 

“I love you, too.” Isak whispers, another tear rolling down his cheek, and then, he’s surging forward.

Even meets him in the middle, until they’re kissing, and the stars explode.

Isak’s lips are moving desperately against his, and Even lets Isak take control of the kiss. There is nothing sexual about this. This is pure bliss. This is two pairs of lips touching out of pure necessity. This is two souls intertwining. And fuck, Even’s never believed in soulmates before, but something tells him that this is more than just infatuation. This is beyond him. This is everything.

And then Isak is pulling back, and Even whines as their lips part with a wet noise. Isak smiles wide, wiping the tears off his cheeks, and then he’s turning away.

“I made you something, too.” Isak says, and he picks up his own laptop from the floor. Even closes his own laptop, and moves it to the side to make room.

Isak opens up his laptop quickly and places it in his lap, inputting his password quickly and allowing the screen to load up, fingers tapping impatiently.

Finally, the screen loads, and Isak immediately clicks onto the PowerPoint logo.

Isak made a PowerPoint?

Almost immediately, the screen loads up with probably the best title ever:  _ Why Asteroids are a Vital Component of the Solar System: by Isak Valtersen. _

The slides read as follows:

Any Planet That is Made of Solid Earth is Made of Asteroids: During the very early years of our solar system, the planets had yet to be formed. However, the asteroids, guided by gravity, travelled through space and collided together to form planetesimals. These collections of rocks and space matter contained vital nutrients, such as organic compounds, and water. Eventually, these planetesimals became big enough to become what we now know as earth.

 

Asteroid Mining: As mentioned before, asteroids have been found to carry various elements, such as water, and minerals. Some examples include: iron, magnesium, gold, silver, and lithium. Many of these metals are used by humans today in very resourceful ways. From everyday household items, collectibles, currencies, and life-saving medications.

 

Lithium: The first detections of the element is found from an exploding star. From there, the element is picked up by debris, or asteroids, with other raw materials. Since its discovery, lithium has played a very crucial role in humans. Lithium batteries power out electronics and household devices. Higher levels of lithium found in drinking water correlates with lower levels of suicide. Lithium, from a pharmacological standpoint, can be used to help regulate bipolar disorder.

 

Pharmacology: Although the effects of Lithium on Bipolar Disorder are not 100% certain, one thing is known. Lithium, or lithium carbonate, is one of the most effective treatments for the regulation of manic episodes in people with Bipolar Disorder. Lithium works as a regulator in the central nervous system, acting upon the flow of sodium during excitation, or action potential. If there is no regulator, too much sodium will result in mania, which can lead to some very devastating consequences. Thanks to the universe, and thanks to asteroids, people with bipolar disorder have the chance to live fulfilling lives.

 

Kjære Even: Metaphors aside. I have spent the past few days finding out everything that I can about bipolar disorder. I want you to know I that I’m here to stay. I’m here to listen, to care, and to exist with you. We may not know why we are here, but we know that so many things are connected. You call yourself an asteroid. I am here to tell you that although there may be bad things about asteroids, there are very many good things about them. You say that I am your universe. There are so many things in this universe that are out there that can kill us. Black holes, the Sun, plague, atomic bombs. Would I still chose to live in this universe? Absolutely. Why? Because I know that love will win. 

 

Alt er love.

 

Upon reading the last sentence, Even can’t stop the tears from blurring his vision.

“I want to hear about everything,” Isak says, because he can tell that Even has finished reading. “I want to listen.”

Even closes his eyes, and he thinks he can see the entire universe. But then he opens them back up, and he suddenly realises, that when his eyes are open, the view is much prettier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to just thank everyone who has supported me in this fandom in the short time that I've been writing for this fandom. Everyone has been so absolutely kind to me. I've loved interacting with everyone, you are all wonderful!  
> And now this fic is over, and I'm so emo. Like holy shit, this took a space-emo-pretentious mess but I've loved writing it. I really hope that you've enjoyed reading.  
> I look forward to seeing you in the New Year, and a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.  
> Love, Julia.

**Author's Note:**

> Uh also during my half assed research, I found out that the general Post Office clerk in Norway makes about two times the hourly wage that I do, so that's lovely. Even factoring in the fact that they tax heavily in Norway, it's still a decent wage compared to what I make lol.  
> Anyways, enough of my complaining. I'd love to hear any thoughts/comments that you may have, so don't be shy! As always, kudos make my day!  
> And come talk to me on tumblr at unendeligtid if you wanna chat, I don't bite!  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
